'The Hobbit: There and Back Again' May Be Getting a Different Title

Towards the end of this year, we'll get the final chapter in Peter Jackson's trilogy adaptation of of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic book with The Hobbit: There and Back Again. But some might remember that the adaptation was originally only going to be two films, and when it was expanded to three, the title of what would have been the second film was merely applied to the third. Now it sounds like the conclusion to the fantasy epic might get a title change. TheOneRing.net has learned that New Line Cinema has registered both the new titles The Hobbit: Into the Fire and The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. More below!

Now there's no guarantee that the registration of those titles means that the film will make a change, but similar information was found just before the two-film series was revealed to be expanded into three. The title The Desolation of Smaug was registered in the same fashion, and we all know how that turned out. As for the new titles, Into the Fire seems to be inspired by an earlier chapter in The Hobbit called "Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire," and it also sounds like it has broader appeal for general audiences not engrained in Tolkien lore. Meanwhile, The Battle of Five Armies takes its inspiration from the events of the end of the book, but it sounds too much like a 300 sequel. Stay tuned to see what happens.